A hacking cough resounded through the dormitories, causing inmates to stir in their bunks. Red's face turned crimson as she attempted to battle for breath. Piper watched her carefully from her bed, her brow furrowing in concern as she sat up. "You okay, Red?"

The matriarch glared at Chapman, her blue eyes swimming with contempt. "Of course," she says breathlessly, her voice wheezing. Her eyes searched in the darkness for Nicky's bunk. Piper raised her eyebrows, her eyes following Red's, and they soften once they settle on Nicky's still sleeping form. Their relationship made Piper miss her own mother, as frustrating as she could be sometimes. She sits up on her elbows.

"I can get her for you if you want," Piper offered, pulling her blanket further up her body in an attempt to warm herself. The offer is met by another glare, and Red shook her head vehemently, causing her to go into another coughing fit.

Thank god the girl can sleep through a fireworks display over her bed, Red thought with a roll of her eyes once the coughing subsides. "Why would I wake her?" Red snapped. "She needs her rest." Red lowered her voice and her eyes crinkled as she talked about her obvious favorite. "You know what the detox is like for her. God knows what she could get up to at night..." Red's attention came back to Piper, who grinned irritatingly. "What?"

"Nothing," Piper insisted. "It's just..nice." Her voice came up in a rising inflection - a question of whether this answer would satisfy Red's curiosity and quell of her growing anger. "It makes me miss my mom."

Piper's admission does nothing to Red's conscience. "Lucky you," she said flatly, with no happiness in her voice. "Most of the girls here don't have someone to miss like that."

"I know," Piper said, nodding her head. "You know, Nicky's lucky to have you, too. She doesn't have to miss her mom because you are her mom."

The mention of Nicky's name is the only thing that brings a small smile to Red's face. She nodded sharply, not acknowledging how proud Piper's statement had made her, and turned around in her bunk. The uncomfortably lumpy mattress hurt her back, but nothing could hurt the pride bursting in her chest.

"I thought you didn't believe in getting sick." Red said monotonously, ignoring Nicky's whining. Her knife came down in a sharp bang on the chopping board and, annoyingly, Nicky didn't flinch like the other girls would have. Red's eyes stay fixed on the chopping board as Nicky thought of a response. Smart-mouthed and unapologetic about it, Nicky invariably had an answer for everything.

"I said I don't believe in getting sick." Nicky holds her hands up innocently, a triumphant smirk curling her lips up. "I never said anything about you, Ma." The sound of Nicky's voice resonating in the empty kitchen made Red's head pound further and she winced, her hand flying to her temple.

Still, she pushed on with the argument. There was no way she was losing to a bratty little girl who wouldn't even help chop the vegetables whilst she complained. "Double standards, hmm?" Red raised her eyebrows and places her knife down with a sigh. "I am perfectly capable of looking after myself, Nicky. Go harass Lorna. Her ego needs a boost."

Nicky pushed her hair back out of her eyes and pulled her shirt down, her nose scrunching up. "This isn't over," she calls out. Though she tries, it's not at all threatening, and Red rolled her eyes once again, throwing her spinning head back in laugh.

With both pride and frustration in her voice, Red has the last word. "Is it ever with you?"

"Just leave her alone," Big Boo said to Nicky, waving a hand in the air. "She's Russian. Made of tougher stuff than spoiled rich girls." She winks and takes a bite of her lunch, wrinkling her nose when she tastes it. "What is this shit?"

"Hey, hey. Don't blame us." Gloria yelled from the serving station, taking a bite of the food herself and spitting it out soon after with an angry shake of her head. She pointed to Nicky, her hands on her hips. "Your mama is to blame for that. And you should be ashamed of yourself, picking at your damn food whilst she's sick. She's picked you up off the bathroom floor enough times."

Nicky stood and glared at Gloria, her eyes hard. "What are you fucking talking about?" Nicky asked. Not giving Gloria a chance to explain, Nicky immediately bolted to the kitchen and pushed the door open with a heavy handed shove. "Red?"

Red looks up, her eyes blackened and her sallow skin. She sighed as she spotted Nicky bursting through the doors, and looked up to Norma, who rubbed her back comfortingly. "When do girls stop listening to their mothers?"

Norma gave her a look that plainly said she didn't think they ever started, and Red shrugged. "I suppose."

"I fucking called it!" Nicky said arrogantly. She was angry at the fact that Red could never admit when she was feeling weak, and would never let Nicky look after her for a change.

Red raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a bet on? I thought you'd be doing something different with Lorna, but I suppose she is married now." Even that short sentence left her breathless and she winced in pain. Norma gave Nicky a disapproving look, frowning as she rubbed Red's shoulder.

Nicky ignored the last comment. "Let me take you to your bunk," she offered, holding out her hand to Red. Red nodded, finally giving in. Nicky gave a small smile in victory as Red leaned on her.

As Red collapsed into bed, Nicky watched with a worried expression. "I'll be fine, Nicky," Red reassured her, without even having to look at her daughter's face to know the anxiety. Without an audience, Nicky's face could finally show her true emotions and Red knew that it took a lot for her to lower her guard.

"You're sure?" Nicky asked. Absentmindedly, she tucked the sheet around Red's body, making sure no part of her was uncovered. Red watched with a small smile. Where had she learnt that? She was pretty sure Marka would have never done that to her.

Red cupped Nicky's face with her hand. Her thumb brushed over Nicky's cheek gently, curiously. "I'll be fine, malyshka."

Gloria stared at Nicky. "You're serious?"

"Yes," Nicky said defiantly, her stance defensive. She leaned against the kitchen counter lazily, attempting to portray confidence. "Is that a problem?" Her facade seemed to work as Gloria shook her head passively.

"No. But isn't that kind of an American thing? Do Russians even like chicken soup?" Gloria asked, whilst Nicky raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know. She makes me pelmeni when she's feeling generous." Nicky looked to the floor guiltily. When wasn't Red generous? With food, love, and security, she never had deficits in what she offered to her family. "That's Russian. So she can have a traditional American dish." Nicky's chin jutted out in a clear statement - I won the argument.

"Fine." Gloria said. "As long as you're done by dinner and you don't use too many ingredients, the kitchen's all yours. Red's girls are always welcome." She shrugged and headed to the door. Red and Gloria had built quite a rapport, and if it helped Red get better, it was fine by her. Nicky's eyes rounded and she frowned.

"Wait!" Nicky yelled. Her face darkened into a frown. "Can't you help?" She sounded like a child and she knew it. She was one step from stomping her foot on the floor. "I don't know how to make chicken soup."

"Did your mother never teach you anything?" Gloria asked. Her cheeks turned a pink color as she remembered what Red had said about Nicky's mother; how utterly useless she was. There was a real possibility that she hadn't taught Nicky anything, let alone how to make soup.

Nicky laughed softly. "If you're talking about Marka, she didn't even teach me how to tie my shoes." She shrugged. "And if you're talking about Red, she got bored after I cut my hand on her knife."

Gloria nodded, and grabbed chicken out of the refrigerator along with a myriad of vegetables. Her eyebrows raised as she passed Nicky a knife. 'Bored or scared?"

Nicky grinned sheepishly and drummed her fingers nervously on the work surface. "Did you never wonder why I don't work in the kitchen?"

Gloria's eyebrows arched and, ignoring her comment because she didn't want to think about the carnage that could ensue with Nicky in the kitchen, she continued with her impromptu lesson. "Okay," she said, passing Nicky the carrots and a small knife. "Chop these - carefully. I think Red would notice if you lost a finger...then who knows what I'd lose." Gloria rolled her eyes.

Nicky chopped the carrots, and though she tried to be careful, her mind wandered. As a result, she's left with a stark contrast to Gloria's uniformly cut vegetables, and looked up self-consciously. "Um.."

"It's okay," Gloria said with a laugh, glancing up at Nicky as she sliced chicken. "You think I liked the look of my kids' pictures on the refrigerator? No. You put up with it cause you love them."

As Nicky pushed the vegetables into the pot, she wondered briefly if she should be offended that she was being compared to a preschooler. When Gloria looked busy with preparing chicken, she decided not to bite the hand that fed her. She wasn't stupid and she had learned from Chapman where that got you. Instead, Nicky shook her head, her insecurity plainly showing on her face. She played with her shirt.

"I'm not her kid. She's already got three boys." Nicky shook her head again.

Gloria's hand hovered over the now simmering pot. "Blood's thicker than water, eh?" Gloria pauses as she shakes some spices into the pot. "I'm not sure Red sees it that way. You know, kids ain't like a marriage. That in sickness and in health bullshit is for life, not just till the divorce comes through."

Nicky shrugged. "It's biology, right?" Both women knew that statement to be entirely untruthful, and Gloria turned to Nicky. "And it's probably my fucking fault she's sick."

Gloria threw her hands up. "Kids are shit. Simple. They break your heart by talking back, skipping school, throwing away their lives, even drugs, they have shitty work from school that smears paint everywhere - but you know what? You still love 'em. And that work still goes on the damn refrigerator."

Nicky held the hot bowl with both her hands like it was her lifeline. Surprisingly, (for her luck was never the best) all the guards were preoccupied with some fight further down in the bunks and she was able to hand it to Red without being stopped.

"Oh, Nicky," Red breathed when she brought it in. The hot bowl warmed her cold hands and it was better than eating the stale potato chips that Chapman had left in her locker. The aroma of chicken soup filled the air. "Mmm. Did you make this?"

Red had to admit that she was impressed, and she smiled easily through the pain as Nicky beamed at her, nodding. "Mhm. Well, Mendoza helped." She sat gently down on the end of Red's bed. "I always had that when I was little and sick," Nicky smiled. It was nice for Red to be involved in a happy memory from Nicky's childhood. The smile quickly faded as Nicky pulled the threads from Red's blanket. "Usually Campbell's, and usually not warm enough, but there you go." Nicky exhaled a little laugh. "I bet your boys had the best when they were ill. Warm itchy blankets, whatever they wanted to eat...I bet you sat with them and just played with their hair, talked to them about nothing really.."

Red smiled at Nicky, her hand snaking out from underneath the blanket to put the bowl on the side and grip Nicky's fingers. Red pulled her closer and raked her fingers through Nicky's hair. Started to talk about nothing.

"When I was sick, my mama would make me hot drinks and give me medicine...it was nice. Russia was much colder, of course, than here ever is..."

Nicky looked up and laughed softly. "You're the one who's sick, Ma. I'm supposed to look after you."

Red shrugged. "It's my job to look after you...the one job I can't afford to fail." She blinked back tears. "Not again."

"You never failed me, Red. Okay? I failed you." She sighed and snuggled closer to Red. "Let's just make a promise. No more fuck ups from either of us."

Red nodded, her fingers massaging Nicky's scalp absently as Nicky curled into her touch instinctively. "Deal."

Gloria stood at the end of Red's bunk later that evening. Out of place in 'The Suburbs', she held up the empty bowl, an eyebrow already arched. "Feeling better?"

Red looked up from her book and pulled her glasses down to rest on her chest. Her gaze fell on Piper and the glare that was shot her way made it very clear that this was a private conversation. Piper stood and made her excuses whilst Red gave Gloria an almost pleasant smile. "Much."

"I'm sure it was due to Nicky's chicken soup," she quips, resting her hand on the bunk and leaning down. "Your girl pulled out all the stops today. Didn't lose a finger or nothing."

Red places her book down next to her and shudders. "Overactive imagination. She doesn't pay attention to where she's slamming the knife down. I watched my husband teach three boys how to ax down a tree but seeing Nicky with a paring knife makes me sick."

Gloria tipped her head in acknowledgement, her short hair covering her eyes until she blows it out of the way. "I can see why."

Red sat up in bed, curiosity taking over. She looked pointedly at her. "I'm sure you didn't come here just to give me your proverbial get well card, Mendoza. I presume you want something."

"Just an answer," Gloria grinned. "Do you even like chicken soup?"

Red nodded adamantly. "Of course! It was delicious," she insists. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered why Gloria was asking. Was she suddenly self-conscious of her cooking? Admittedly, she put too many spices in things that didn't need them, but...

"Relax, mami." Gloria said, sitting down on Chapman's bed. "Nichols is at movie night. She's not gonna hear you."

"Fine," Red relented. She still looked out of her bunk to make sure Nicky definitely wasn't there. "Hate the stuff. A waste of chicken if you ask me!" She rolled her eyes and then felt a stab of guilt. "But Nicky tried so hard. And she can be apathetic about even her fucking life, so to see her trying so hard at this...her face. I couldn't not eat it." Then Red arched an eyebrow. "Why did you wanna know?" Her tone had changed, and she was less mama bear, more "tell me more". She leaned forward on her bed, whispering, "You know I love secrets." The mystery made her bones ache less and she forgot about her pounding head for just a moment.

Gloria shrugged and Red instantly knew she wasn't finding out today. She sunk back into her bed as Gloria winked. "Just seeing where Nicky is on your refrigerator."

Hey! I hope you liked this. Ironically, I thought of this awhile back and started writing it but only really had time after I took some time off cause guess what...I got sick.

It was supposed to be Nicky/Red but Gloria came out much more prominently than I ever imagined...and I realized I really love her! Please leave a review telling me what you think!